AUTHOR=Hadinia Anousha , Meyer Antonia , Bruegger Viviane , Hatz Florian , Nowak Karolina , Taub Ethan , Nyberg Elisabeth , Stieglitz Rolf-Dieter , Fuhr Peter , Gschwandtner Ute
TITLE=Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy Reduces Stress and Improves the Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology
VOLUME=7
YEAR=2017
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01975
DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01975
ISSN=1664-1078
ABSTRACT=Objective: The aim of this study is to compare a cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBT) with a health enhancement program (HEP) for stress reduction and the impact on quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Method: Thirty patients with PD participated in the study: 16 received CBT including stress-reducing elements and 14 took part in a HEP. The two groups did not differ significantly in their baseline demographic characteristics. The patients in both groups underwent weekly sessions of 2 h duration for 9 weeks. The Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire with 39 items (PDQ-39), the Burden Questionnaire for Parkinson’s Disease (translated from the original German: Belastungsfragebogen für Parkinsonpatienten (BELA) and the Disease-Related Questionnaire [Fragebogen zur krankheitsbezogenen Kommunikation (FKK)] were used for assessment. Ratings were completed at baseline and after 9 weeks (immediately after the last treatment session).
Results: The patients in the CBT group achieved significantly better BELA, FKK and PDQ-39 scores (p < 0.05). Subscale analysis revealed that the scores on the BELA subscales “emotional well-being” and “somatic motor function” contributed significantly to stress reduction (p < 0.05). The FKK revealed significant improvement in social skills in the CBT group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy appears to be an effective way for patients with PD to lessen stress and improve their quality of life.